Thread: Ne - Lawmakers Combine Immigration Bills

Lawmakers Combine Immigration Bills



Posted: 4:12 PM Feb 19, 2009
Last Updated: 4:12 PM Feb 19, 2009
The Legislature's Judiciary Committee has combined three proposals to curb illegal immigration and advanced the resulting bill to the whole body.

The bill (LB403) originally included only Gov. Dave Heineman's proposal to require state and local agencies to verify the legal status of anyone trying to collect public benefits.

It was amended to include a proposal to require public employers and contractors to check their employees' legal status once hired. The original bill (LB34) had covered all employers.

And the bill now also includes a proposal (LB335) requiring those seeking state tax breaks to prove they verified their employees' legal status.

Committee Chairman Brad Ashford of Omaha says the Legislature could consider the bill next week.


http://www.kolnkgin.com/news/headlines/39870322.html

I pray they can put this into effect. It seems that many states want to protect the American people but are stopped by the Democratic administration.

I hope this passes and they do the right thing but one thing that really bothers me is:

It was amended to include a proposal to require public employers and contractors to check their employees' legal status once hired.

Aren't responsible businesses supposed to check references before they hire a mass-murderer with fake ID, for example, or someone claiming a degree from Oxford and Harvard, which have never heard of the applicant?

As far as I know federal and state laws require that background checks be conducted for only certain jobs. For example, most states require criminal background checks for anyone who works with children, the elderly, or disabled. The federal National Child Protection Act authorizes state officials to access the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database for some positions. Many state and federal government jobs require a background check, and depending on the kind of job, may require an extensive investigation for a security clearance. So while it would be nice if all employers were required to do background checks, it hasn't happened yet. E-Verify could be the corner stone for that kind of check to become a reality.

And what's really sad is that before this illegal alien invasion, I would have fought tooth and nail for there NOT to be in-depth background checks on everyone. Now I'm rooting for it.